We get this question a lot since many railroaders have heard about “damage caps” in medical malpractice cases. Fortunately, FELA (i.e. the Federal Employers Liability Act) does not penalize victims and there is no arbitrary damage cap for your on-the-job railroad injury. This does not mean there aren’t specific requirements you need to follow when…
The controversy continues over engine mounted video and audio systems: safety or disciplinary or both? The system used by Norfolk Southern and many railroads is called Railview and distributed by SAIC. The video camera is mounted above the engine cab window and points forward, and the hard drive computer unit is mounted in the cab…
FELA cases for CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) brakemen and conductors have been growing in number recently from cumulative trauma or repetitive stresses on train crews’ bodies after years of service. One of the main railroad work activities which caused a lot of excessive stress on the hips, knees, legs, ankles, and feet of yard…
How liable are rail operators for the life-threatening illnesses their employees develop? This question is always difficult to answer because each case requires individual consideration. In what looks to be the latest opportunity to explore this issue, 25-year Union Pacific brakeman and conductor Brad Thompson has sued his former employer in Illinois (IL), claiming that…
According to an article in the Virginian Pilot, a man’s severed body was found on the train tracks at Church Street near Monticello Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia (VA) on Wednesday morning, March 25, 2009. The man’s name is being withheld until relatives can be notified. The tracks are owned by Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS). Roger Chapman,…